Just Another Useless Prince Charming
by Mindrider
Summary: Thalia Grace is the Lieutenant of the Hunters. Nico Di Angelo is your typical son of Hades. Could a small misunderstanding between the two of them lead to their death? Or will a familiar goddess kill them instead? Thalico.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, this is my second (well, third, really) fanfiction. It's a Thalico because I love that pairing! I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians **

_**Just Another Useless Prince Charming**_

_**Prologue**_

Kicked out.

Only two words.

Yet, these two words describe my every breath. My every step, wave, smile, cry, shout, and tear. They are what I am.

Kicked out.

But it's not as pitiful as it sounds; I assure you. My kicked out breaths, steps, waves, smiles, cries, shouts, and tears, aren't weak and helpless. No, they are strong. As strong as I felt that one day in the infirmary when, not only did I find out my history, but I created more. History that I would tell my kids - Our kids - when the time came for them to know. As cliché as this story might sound. As predictable, and typical, and terribly overdone as it seems, I assure you, this story speaks the truth.

My truth.

My cliché, predictable, overdone, kicked out, truth.

And it all started with four terrifying words…

"Completely and utterly unfathomable."

Those were the four terrifying words that came out of the goddess's mouth when she first saw them.

We caught up to her quickly and gasped in unison when we realized what was going on.

"Kylie?" Phoebe asked in astonishment her jaw sinking lower than her shoulders.

"Lady Artemis, I- I- I can explain." Kylie stuttered untangling herself from the boy's grip.

"Explain?" Artemis asked, her face turning a dark shade of red. By now all of the hunters had gathered around, staring at the poor girl.

Kylie's arms began to shake. "Yes, m-my lady. This," she pointed to the brunette boy sitting on the ground next to her, "this is Dylan. He was my boyfriend before I joined the hunt, Ma'am. I just wanted to say goodbye, I promise you! I wasn't going to stay with him." She looked up at the goddess and begged. "Please, Lady Artemis! Please believe me! You know that I would never do anything to disrespect you." I noticed tears in Kylie's eyes as the goddess looked her friend over.

"It had to be you Kylie." she said coldly. "It had to be you who thought you'd be able to control yourself around this filth." She kicked up dirt into Dylan's face. "And I suppose you've told him everything?" she asked, her eyes reflecting the full moon into Kylie's mortified pupils.

"Our families are b- best friends." She stammered out. "I had to or they would be suspicious. Please ma'am you have to understand-"

"Oh I understand!" Artemis spat, stopping Kylie cold. "I _understand _that when you took my oath only mere weeks ago, it didn't mean a thing to you!"

"Lady Artemis, please listen-"

"You not only broke your oath by associating yourself with this…" she shook, trying to come up with the right word, "_idiocy_, but you told him the truth, risking exposure of everything that my family and I have worked so hard to keep secret!"

Kylie was crying now, shaking violently. "P-please, My Lady, I promise-"

"You_ promise_?" Artemis yelled. "And how, Kylie, am I supposed to trust you when the last _promise _you made was broken within a mere three weeks?"

Kylie bawled, begging on her hands and knees. "Please! Please! I'll do _anything_!"

Artemis glared down at the girl with such force, I was surprised she didn't disintegrate right then and there. Kylie curled up into a ball on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest, rocking to the beat of her own whimpers. After staring disgustedly for only a few moments, Artemis pointed her finger at the girl. Kylie's image flashed, turning into something terrifying. A big brown bear with large fangs appeared, curled up in a ball in the dirt.

Artemis smiled evilly at the brown ball. "You'll do anything to gain back my respect, is that right Kylie?" she asked.

The bear nodded, still whining.

The rest of us looked around at each other in surprise. Most of us, being fairly new recruits, had never seen anyone break the oath and had no idea what Artemis had in store for poor Kylie. Only the older hunters sighed sadly at the boy and the bear, knowing that something bad was coming.

Kylie stared at the goddess with sad eyes, whining louder than a siren.

"Do you still think you are loyal to me?" Artemis demanded, pointing a finger at the bear.

The bear nodded enthusiastically, trying to persuade her.

"Then kill him." was the goddess's only instruction.

Dylan screamed.

The bear's eyes widened and she stumbled away, tripping over her own paws.

"Are you still loyal?" the goddess challenged.

The bear nodded again but seemed more uncertain.

Artemis just pointed to the poor boy that was trying everything in his power to get away, but was being tied up by tree roots. "Kill him then. Prove your loyalty."

There wasn't a single hunter who didn't shield her eyes as the bear staggered over. We heard the boy's pleads echoing through the trees and I couldn't help but realize that all of the nighttime birds had stopped chirping.

"There you go." said Artemis appraisingly. She walked over to the bear who was lying by the boy's feet, blood on her muzzle.

"I couldn't have done it better myself." She kneeled down and patted the bear on the head running her fingers along her chin.

"It's really too bad…" the goddess crooned, "that it wasn't enough."

With one swift motion she swung her knife out of its sheaf on her belt and thrust it into the bear's hide. All I remember was seeing the surprised look on Kylie's face as the knife, which had to have some magical quality, was driven through her front leg.

We all looked away as she let out a whine before collapsing on the floor.

My heart thundered in my chest.

Artemis was intense, we all knew that, but very few of us ever expected her to hurt one of her hunters for kissing one boy. Not to mention, kill the boy.

Artemis glared down at the bear that was slowly changing back into a blonde girl. "When you are ready you may join us." she said sternly. "But you will no longer have to ability to use a bow and arrow."

Kylie didn't show any signs of hearing her. She just grasped at the bleeding remains of her arm, while staring down at the disembodied bear claw that was lying in the dirt.

Artemis wiped the blood off her knife on a tree before motioning for her hunters to follow her back to the tents. As the other girls trailed behind her solemnly, I just stood where I was, staring at the blood that was now staining the tree bark.

Being a demigod, I had seen some pretty freaky and unnerving things. But watching that blood, trickle down that tree trunk, and knowing what it stood for, had to be the most terrifying thing that I had ever witnessed.

And my master was the cause of it.

**Sooooo, what'd you think? Why not tell me in a review?**


	2. Three Weeks Later

**Hey guys! I just watched two HP movies. J.K. Rowling is a GENIUS! Anywho, go on read.**

**Disclaimer: I do not, by any means own the rights to Percy Jackson and the Olympains. What? You don't believe me? You rubbish - Wait until my father hears about this! Crabbe! Goyle!**

_**Chapter 1**_

_**Three Weeks Later**_

"Well, now isn't this interesting?"

I whirled around to see her leaning casually against a pine tree on the opposite side of the creek I was drinking from.

Regaining my composure I smiled. "I would say the same thing. Usually in this game you dress like you're going to fight." I motioned to her T-shirt and black skinny jeans. "You too cool for armor?"

Her expression turned angry. "I was in a sticky situation, Death Breath, I had no choice."

"Whoa there, I was just asking." I insisted, standing up, holding my hands up in mock defense. "No need to get snappy." I added, smirking as I saw her annoyance.

She swung her sword in the air a few times, probably trying to scare me. "Quit acting like you're the best fighter there is, Skully. There are people in this world who are better than you, in case you've forgotten."

"I didn't forget," I said, swinging my sword, imitating her perfectly, "In fact, I was just about to remind you that you, in fact, are not of them."

She growled. "The hunters have won every capture the flag game in decades. It's highly unlikely that a lower life form like yourself could possibly change that."

I twirled my sword in between my first two fingers. "Unlikely, but not impossible."

"I said, _highly_unlikely."

"Same difference."

She sighed. "Are we seriously going to argue about who's the better fighter when we're standing four yards apart, holding swords, with an otherwise straight path to the opposite teams' side?"

I laughed. "I was wondering the exact same thing."

She stepped into the creek. "Then, I say, let's get on with it."

"I couldn't agree more." I followed her lead and took a step into the creek. The cool, midsummer, water felt like heaven on my aching feet. I had been walking around for ages, hoping to find some sort of an enemy. She held her sword out at the ready and I matched mine.

"Alright," I sighed. "On your mark, get set – Hey!"

She stabbed with all her might at my neck and nearly won right then and there. But thank the gods I had the intelligence to jerk to the right. Unfortunately for me, my foot locked itself into a root just in the nick of time, and I crashed into the stream, my head bashing against a rock. Giving no mercy, Thalia sliced at my caught leg, but I stuck my sword out only milliseconds before it hit. I bared my teeth and rolled over, temporarily immersing my head in the water. I emerged on the land, drenched and freezing, the night air suddenly way too cold for my liking.

Thalia was standing in the creek, her hair looking frizzy. It took me a few moments to realize what was happening, and it was pure luck that I was able to roll out of the way in time. The lightning bolt impaled itself in the ground where I had previously stood, leaving behind a smell, similar to rotten eggs. I pulled myself up, prepared to fight again, but apparently she wasn't quite ready. She took a few deep breaths before smiling.

"Are you going to give up yet?" she asked sleazily.

My clothes had become waterlogged and it felt as if my armor were fifty pounds heavier. I pushed my soaking hair out of my face and smiled. In between breaths I spoke. "Sorry, Pinecone face, not until you've surrendered."

She snarled. "Well in that case-" She jumped out of the creek and nearly sliced my head off for the second time in one night. I was fast, though, and my sword was _just_in her way. I didn't wait for her to react. I disarmed her and swung my sword at her stomach before she could even process that I was still standing. She summoned a bolt of lightning that, not only blocked my shot, but sent me stumbling backwards into a tree. My back hit the trunk with a not very back-ish noise, and I moaned.

"Giving up?" she asked again. She was breathing a little heavier than last time, but still not as bad as my gasps.

I just growled and summoned five skeleton warriors to do my bidding.

"Seize her!" I demanded, pointing my sword at her.

They clacked their teeth together, and ran after her. She quickly retrieved her sword and swung it, knocking off a few of their heads, but they just reformed and came after her again. Meanwhile, I was inching along behind her, trying to call the least attention to myself. Together, my skeletons and I were luring her into the perfect trap. I smiled and approached her, ready to hear her cries of surrender. But to my disbelief, she summoned a bolt of lightning.

_Darn it!_I thought._She's going to explode my warriors!_ I grit my teeth and lunged for her.

I was struck before I could get close enough to touch her.

"Ha!" I heard her yell. "No one sneaks up on me!"

I screamed in pain as the electricity shook my bones and forced me to the floor. My head hit the dirt with a sickening crack and the last thing I remember before falling unconscious was her voice.

"Nico?" she called from somewhere far away. "Hey, are you ok?"

I moaned as her footsteps approached me.

"_Ntoulápi gymnastí̱rio tou Día_!" she yelled. "He's dead!"

_**Nico's POV**_

Being a son of Hades, I'm used to people staring at me.

I mean, it's kind of hard for them _not _to stare at me with me being, you know, the godly devil spawn who like, saved the world and is like, a ghost lord and yeah."

Whatever.

You've read the books.

I'm also used to the whispering. I hear it all the time. The typical,

"_Pst… Hey, isn't that Nico Di Angelo? The super hottie whose eyes sparkle in the sunlight and make me forget all of the problems that I have and ever will have to face in my life 'cause he's just so dang gorgeous_."

Well I'm sure it's _something _like that.

Anyway, what I'm not used to, is being slapped in the face by a black haired, blue eyed, screwball, of a daughter of Zeus. So I'll go right out and tell you that when that does happen, I tend to be, well, caught a little off guard.

"Thalia?" I exclaimed in surprise. "What the heck!" I brought my hand up to caress my stinging cheek. For a girl, she's a got a lot of muscle.

"I hate you!" she yelled.

"What'd I do?" I sputtered, looking around the circle of other people in the infirmary. Percy shrugged. Artemis smirked.

"How dare you do that to me?" she demanded. "I thought you were dead!"

I rubbed my eyes. This was getting outrageously stressful.

"Well I'm sorry that _your _bolt of lightning brought me to a near-death experience but I still don't see why you had to slap me."

She bared her teeth and made to smack me again.

"Whoa there!" Chiron exclaimed, grabbing her hand before she could get in another swat. "Let's calm down." He suggested. Being the activities director at a training camp, he had gotten used to dealing with demigod brawls.

"Thank you." I sighed.

Thalia mumbled some, not so nice Greek under her breath.

"What is wrong with you?" I asked.

"What's wrong with me?" she cried. "More like, what's wrong with you! You little creep; scaring me like that! I almost _wish _you were dead!"

"You almost wish I were – What?" I smacked my forehead. "You're seriously mad at me because you almost killed me?"

She nodded and crossed her arms hissing out a viperous, "Skull face."

I saw Artemis smile out of the corner of my eye. Chiron stepped in.

"Thalia, perhaps you need to sit down." He stated calmly. "It's been a long night and I'm sure you're tired-"

"I'm not sitting down until he apologizes." she insisted stubbornly.

"You've got to be kidding me!" I exclaimed. "This girl is whack!"

Artemis's smile went away. "Now you hold on there, boy-"

"This is crazy." I moaned.

"I want an enchilada." sighed Grover.

"Holy Hades." Chiron muttered. "Be quiet!" he shouted. He pointed towards the door. "Please just get out!"

Everyone was quiet for a moment before finally beginning to file through the door; first Percy, then Artemis and a few hunters, then Grover, and lastly Thalia. Chiron turned around.

"Thalia wait."

She stopped short, only a few feet from the door. She turned around in a huff. "What?"

Chiron closed his eyes and rubbed his temples before looking back at her. "_You_ are going to stay and work out whatever problems you have with Nico. _Nico_," he turned to me. "You are going to talk to Thalia and then, if you would like, you may leave." he turned to walk out but stopped himself short. "And I mean it when I say, _no hitting, kicking, or any sort of violence_. Kapeesh?

We both rolled our eyes before mumbling a drained, "Kapeesh."

Chiron gave us one last beady stare before trotting out the door.

Thalia crossed her arms and stood uncomfortably in the middle of the room, a few feet away from the cot I was lying on. Things had never really been this awkward between the two of us. We usually got along pretty nicely; with both of us being children of the Big Three, and all. But this was just another one of those useless little brawls we got into sometimes.

"I'm sorry." she huffed finally, looking down at the ground by her feet. "I just kind of…" she looked for the right word. "Exploded."

"I'll say." I snorted. "My cheek is still stinging."

She snorted that famous Thalia snort and smiled embarrassedly. "Yeah… it came out a little harder than I expected." She brought her electric blue eyes up to meet mine.

"Sorry."

I just smirked. "Maybe you are maybe you aren't." I sat up and began the difficult task of trying to get off my cot without yelping in pain. "Either way," I began, placing my last foot on the floor. "You owe me an 'I'm sorry' hug."

She laughed and rolled her eyes before walking over to me. She put out one arm and hugged me mumbling in my ear, "You realize if Lady Artemis saw this she'd have a cow."

"I know." I said smiling. "That'd be your punishment."

"Oh really?" she laughed, pulling away. "Then what's my punishment if Artemis didn't see?"

I shrugged, wincing as it sent a shock of pain down my spine. "You just had to hug Nico Di Angelo. For you, that's punishment enough."

She laughed again as we walked out the door, down the hill to where the cabins were. "It was pretty scary." she admitted.

I just smiled and held the door to the Artemis cabin open for her. She walked inside without a 'thank you,' she just punched my arm friendlily.

"No violence!" I called after her.

She just waved my comment away with her hand.

I laughed and let the door to the Artemis cabin swing shut behind me.

I walked by myself back to my cabin. It was some wee hour in the morning and I wanted to get in as much sleep as possible before training tomorrow. I was determined to prove to Thalia that I could beat her.

"Scary huh?" I repeated to myself quietly, as I swung my cabin door open and sauntered inside. "I'll show you just how scary I can be on the battlefield."

**Haha! I love Thalico!  
>What'd you guys think of the first chapter (First real one, anyway)? Ooh! Ooh! I have an idea; for every review I get, I'll tell you a HP or PJO pickup line yo mama joke! **

Are you using the Confundus charm or are you just naturally mind blowing?

It's a good thing I'm not Poseidon's son, 'cause otherwise I would've drowned in your love.

3


	3. The Oracle's Dream

**Hey guys. I know it's only been like, a day, but I felt like posting. Here's the next chapter! This is where it starts to get exciting… :D**

_**Chapter 2**_

_**The Oracle's Dream**_

_**Thalia's POV**_

__"Bring that shield a little higher, Stoll, unless you want a blade through your ribs. Hey! You there! Aphrodite with the pink armor! Yeah, you're crazy if you think I'd let you fight in that neon chunk of…"

Jack yelled other annoying instructions at the campers practicing their fighting. I had gotten used to his yapping. He was yet another addition to the Camp Half-Blood team that we had gained after the war with Kronos. I have to say, between him and the new cabins I would've preferred the cabins. The man may have good looks, and that's coming from a huntress, but I've heard rumors about him eating puppies and from what I've seen of him, I'm inclined to believe them.

I made my way through the throngs of practicing campers, dodging swords and elbows, over to where a group of people I knew were putting on their armor.

"Hey guys." I said, dropping down on the bench in-between Annabeth and Nico.

Percy gave me a quizzical look. "Well you definitely seem more cheerful than the last time I saw you. You and Nico made up?"

Nico smirked. "Chiron made us. I think he was in a bad mood last night."

"I'll say." said Annabeth. "He missed a lot of shots in archery yesterday. He seemed really stressed."

"I wonder why." stated Connor.

"It's probably because Artemis is here." I said with a smile. "As professional as he is, I think she scares him."

Percy nodded in agreement. Rachel walked over and plopped down on the other side of Nico.

"Hi everyone." she said with smile.

"Hi Rachel." Percy greeted along with Annabeth and a few others. They finished up putting on their armor and left to go practice. Nico looked at me.

"When you're finished putting your armor on I'm ready to crush you." He stated slyly.

I smiled sweetly. "In your petty little dreams, Di Angelo."

Rachel giggled as Nico walked away. "You guys are so funny." she said.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

She frowned. "What's that supposed to mean."

I looked up from the shoelace that I was tying. "It means, you're mortal. Why are you in the arena?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Sometimes I come here to watch everyone fight." she laughed. "It's kind of amusing when nobody's killing each other."

I snorted. "Oh." I turned back to my shoe.

"I said, _sometimes_."

I looked back up at her.

"Today, however," she began, "I came to talk to you."

I crossed my arms. "Oh really?"

"Yes really."

"Shoot."

She smiled. "Being an Oracle, Apollo treats me like one of his kids. I sit at his dinner table and sleep in his cabin and such."

"Yeah." I urged her.

"So sometimes, partly because Apollo favors me, partly because I'm the Oracle, I get dreams. Demigod dreams." She looked me in the eyes. "Future telling dreams."

I squinted. "Did you see something about me?"

"Yeah." she nodded. "Well, sort of."

"Sort of?" I asked. Now I was really interested. "What did you see?"

She crossed her legs uncomfortably. "Well, first I saw something from the past."

"The past? You mean my past?"

"Yes." she said. "About your mother."

I blinked. "My mother."

"Yeah. She was…" Rachel closed her eyes trying to remember better, "She was talking to someone… To Artemis."

"Artemis?" I shook my head at the oddity.

"Uh huh. I didn't hear what they were saying, though, I was too far away. But they were definitely in a serious conversation."

I thought this over. It didn't make sense. What would my mom need from Artemis?

"How did you know it was my mom?" I decided to ask finally.

"She was holding you." Rachel explained. "And it was obviously you. You had the same face, same eyes, same attitude. She was stroking your head and they both kept looking down at you."

"And let me guess," I said angrily, "She had a beer bottle in her back pocket."

"Oh, stop it!" Rachel growled. "I would've taken your mother over mine any day."

I rolled my eyes. "My mother referring to my dead one?"

Rachel stopped short. "Oh." she whispered. "I didn't know that."

"Of course you didn't." I snarled getting up from the bench.

"Hey wait up!" she cried running after me.

I stopped, sighed, and then turned around. "What do you want?"

"I didn't tell you the future part yet." she insisted stubbornly, her arms crossed over her chest.

I glared at her angrily until I finally realized that she wouldn't give in. "Just be quick." I sighed.

She smiled.

As if she had any sort of power over me.

"It was a few weeks from now," she began easing back down on a bench. "I think it was the summer solstice; there was a party in the background. You were hiding behind a tree and you were out of breath. Your eyes were a little teary and you looked guilty."

I snorted. "Sounds unrealistic already."

"Yeah, yeah. Well, you were sitting on the ground crying-"

"You can just stop there, Dare-"

"When Nico came out of the woods."

I opened my mouth to say something else snotty but stopped. "Nico?"

"Yes," she nodded. "It was definitely him."

I walked back over to the bench and sat down next to her. In a hushed tone I asked, "What did he say?"

She shrugged. "I have no clue, I couldn't hear you guys."

"He was probably teasing me for crying." I snorted.

"Actually, no," she said, "he sat down next to you to comfort you and you kissed him."

My eyes bulged out of my head. I whirled around to make sure no hunters had heard and was relieved to see only one was nearby and she didn't appear to be listening.

"I'm sorry, I wha-"

"Hey Grace!" Jack yelled from across the arena.

I growled at the sound of my last name.

"Get your lazy butt over here and start practicing before I shove my sword up your-"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" I snarled, grabbing my sword. I turned to Rachel. "This conversation is not over." I hissed.

She just winked at me and sat down on the bench.

I jogged over to where Nico was waiting and he smiled.

"You ready to head to the infirmary, Pinecone Face?" he asked holding his sword up.

"If I'm there waiting for you to wake up, sure." I spat, but my heart didn't feel into it.

Nico and I fought for a little while but I kept losing. For some reason I just couldn't focus. It didn't help when I turned around and Rachel had left.

"_Skatá!_" I growled.

Nico took it as a response to his 'good' fighting, and laughed.

The rest of practice was torture. Nico kept beating me and the entire time I couldn't stop thinking about what Rachel had said.

_Is she really telling to truth?_ I asked myself. _Maybe it wasn't actually a demigod dream._

But I knew what a demigod dream felt like and if Rachel experienced one she would know it. I sighed. If Artemis found out, I was toast. Because Apollo is her brother, she would trust Rachel almost immediately and probably kick me out… Or worse.

I shuddered. No way would I let that happen. The hunt was the only thing that kept me going. If I got kicked out then I wouldn't be able to live.

I shivered.

If I got kicked out of the hunt I would kill myself.

Practice finally ended and I went to the benches in a bad mood. My face was drenched with sweat and I smelled something like dead fish. I wiped my face off with a towel and took my armor off before leaving the arena and looking around for Rachel.

"Hey, wait up!" called someone from behind me.

I turned around, expecting to see the redhead, but was disappointed to see Nico.

"Oh," I said sadly, "It's you."

He smiled. "Yupper!" he followed in step next to me. "Hey, don't take it personally, Thalia." he said, a cheesy grin plastered on his face. "I'm the best fighter around, obviously someone like you couldn't beat me." he looked at me, expecting some sort of sassy retort, but I didn't feel like it.

"Look." I sighed. "I was just a little out of it today." I peered around a tree. "I'll beat you tomorrow."

He chuckled. "Suuure, that's your excuse. But you _do _seem a little distracted." he smirked as I peered inside the boys bathroom by accident. "What's going on?"

I opened my mouth to tell him to go away or to go bug someone with his own GPA, but eventually I just stopped. He was in Rachel's dream too, he deserved to know.

I turned to look at him. "Nico, I'm going to tell you something. Something a little…" I stuttered. "Disconcerting."

His smile dropped and he looked at me worriedly. "What's wrong, Thals?"

I sighed. "Nico, Rachel had a dream last night… A demigod dream, or Oracle dream, whatever you call it."

"What was it about?"

I looked down at the ground, my face red, not wanting to continue. "I was in the woods alone on the summer solstice." I said leaving out the crying part. "Then you walked in apparently, and we talked for a little while or something."

"Yeah?" he urged.

"And then…" I trailed off. "Look, don't take this the wrong way because I would never, _never _do something like this."

"What happened?" he asked.

"Well," I grimaced, "I kissed you-"

My words were overlapped by the loud noise of an engine.

"What the heck?" I yelled.

"What'd you say?" Nico shouted. The noise of the engine was getting louder.

I felt myself slowly begin to feel hot and groaned in realization. "Shield your eyes!" I yelled.

I made sure he had covered his eyes with his hand before doing the same. Eventually I felt that familiar blast of warm air and I heard the engine shut off. I opened my eyes.

"Whoa! That was so cool!" Nico exclaimed.

"Some people never change." I murmured under my breath.

Apollo opened the door to his shiny black car, and took a deep breath. "Ahh, fresh air." he sighed.

Nico laughed. "That was so cool!" he repeated.

Apollo turned to us and laughed. "Kid, I think you said almost the same thing about 6 years ago."

Nico just smiled and walked over to admire Apollo's car.

The sun god turned to me. "Helloooo, there Thalia!' he exclaimed happily.

I sighed, happy that I wouldn't have to tell Nico yet. "Hi Lord Apollo."

"Please," he said, "Call me Apollo… The Great and Wonderful."

I giggled in spite of myself but stopped quickly. "What brings you to Camp Half-Blood?" I asked.

"And, what type of car is this?" Nico asked, running his hands along the paint.

"_You _brought me here Thalia." Apollo put his arm around my shoulder. "Oh, and Bugatti Veyron."

"Whoa…" whispered Nico.

I shrugged out of Apollo's grip. "I'm a huntress, Apollo."

"Woops." he smiled.

"What do you need to talk to me about?"

Apollo's smile went away. He looked at Nico. "Hey kid, you want to see what it looks like on the inside?"

Nico gasped. "You'd let me get _inside_?" He asked as if it would be the highlight of his life.

Apollo nodded. "Sure." he clicked a button and the doors unlocked. Nico was inside before I could blink.

Boys.

"There we go." said Apollo, sitting down on a tree stump. He motioned for me to take the one next to him. I did.

"I came here to talk to you about something my Oracle has told me that strikes me as interesting."

My heart thundered in my chest. _Rachel told him about her dream?_

"She claims she saw something going on," he continued, "Between you and your friend over there." He motioned to Nico who was sitting in the front seat of his car pretending to drive it.

I looked away and tried to hide my burning face. "She told me about that too."

"She did." Apollo said. It was a fact, not a question.

"Yeah." I said. "You don't think she's right… Do you?"

The god pursed his lips. "I'm not sure, Thalia. I know the type of person you are, and the person Rachel saw in that vision isn't you."

I sighed in relief. At least _someone _was on my side.

"But then again, anyone can change."

I groaned and closed my eyes. This was a mess. "Lord Apollo?" I asked after a minute.

He whistled a familiar tune.

"_Apollo the Great and Wonderful_."

"What can I do for you Thalia?"

I took a deep breath. There was something that I wanted from him. Something that wouldn't make this problem go away, but it would at least give me more time to figure out how to solve it. The only thing I could do was take a deep breath, cross my fingers, and ask my question.

"Could you please, not tell anyone about Rachel's dream?" I breathed, finally. "I really don't want to run the risk of anyone in the hunt finding out. Especially Artemis."

He sighed and shook his head unsurely. "I don't like keeping things from my sister, Thals."

"Please Apollo the Great and Wonderful!" I pleaded. "Just until I can figure out a way to make this right?"

He nodded. "Fine, but only because I'm such a good person."

"Thank you!" I exclaimed.

He smiled. "Good luck with all of this Thalia. I can already see something happening to you." he closed his eyes and nodded his head. "Yes, it will be a burst of realization… Something about your past and how it will affect your future." he opened and eyes. "Good luck!"

I was about to say something in response, when I saw a flash of red hair. Rachel was over by the bathrooms and she was waving me over. _Come here!_ She mouthed.

I looked back over at Apollo. "I need to go." I stated.

He nodded. "Rachel's waiting. Go on ahead, dear."

I got up off my tree stump and left to go talk to Rachel. I was about halfway there when I suddenly stopped and turned around. "Thank you Lord Apollo!" I called.

He shook his head.

I rolled my eyes. "Apollo the Great and Wonderful."

He smiled once more and waved. "Good luck Thalia." he called back.

And with that, I jogged over to see what Rachel wanted to tell me.

Not even Apollo was able to predict how much this one little talk would switch up my life so much.

_**Nico's POV**_

Apollo's car was amazing; absolutely wonderful in so many ways that I can't describe. But even as I had my hands on the wheel, coming around the second to last lap, just about to pass Carl Edwards, I felt my mind drift back to Thalia. She never finished telling me what Rachel had dreamed about. All heard was, "_I ki- you"_ before Apollo's engine blocked out anything else she said.

"I ki- you." I said to myself. There was something missing there. Two to five letters after the K-I just weren't there.

"Kilt." I said. "Kin. Kip. Kit. Kid, Kir, Kib." Now I was just making up words. "Kig. Kim. Kik. Kiv. Kill…" I stopped short. Kill.

"I killed you." I said out loud.

It fit.

"Oh, my gods." I exclaimed, my eyes wide in fear.

If Rachel really and truly had a demigod dream then that meant… I gulped.

"Thalia Grace is going to kill me." I said out loud.

**Pretty awesome huh? That's called a misunderstanding. It would mean so much to me if you reviewed!**


	4. Kylie's Warning

**Short and boring chapter, sorry guys. Anyway, thanks for all of you who reviewed (MidnightRose24, Abdhaprincess, Santa Plaus, Supersweet47, Pippy2468 Claimed by Hades), it really means a lot. Here is chapter 3!**

_**Chapter 3**_

_**Kylie's Warning**_

_**Thalia's POV**_

"I had a nap." was the first thing that Rachel said when I reached her.

"Did you have another dream?" I asked, scared to hear the answer.

"Yes."

My heart began to pick up its pace.

Rachel explained, "It was the same one that I had before, except I could hear what everyone was saying."

I stared at her urgent face. "What did we say?"

"Well first off," she began, "the Artemis scene. I was wrong about something, Thalia. I told you before that it was _you _who your mom was holding, correct?"

"Correct."

"Well, that's not true. Your mom was holding a boy. A young boy named Jason, if I can remember properly."

I felt my jaw drop. "Jason?"

"Yeah," she said, "I take it you know him?"

I nodded dazedly. "He was my brother. He died when I was little. What were they talking about?"

Rachel closed her eyes, trying to remember. "Your mom was asking Artemis for a favor. She was begging Artemis to _keep him safe_ or something."

"Keep him safe?" I asked. "From what?"

"More like, 'who'" she said. "Her words were something like, _'Zeus has promised him to her so that she will leave me and Thalia alone. But I just can't lose him _–'"

"What did she say next?" I asked, intrigued. I hadn't heard about my brother Jason since my mom told me he'd died. My mom refused to give me any information on him, and she died in a car crash, drunk, I might add, before I could get it out of her.

"Then she said something about only being able to trust Artemis, or something like that." Rachel continued. "I'm not sure Thalia."  
>I wiped the sweat off my forehead and looked back to where Nico was sitting on a tree stump, waiting for me to come back. Something about his facial expression had changed, though. When I had last seen him he was laughing hysterically in the driver's seat of Apollo's car. Now he looked stony. Scared almost. When he saw me looking at him his eyes widened and he looked away hurriedly. I opened my mouth to yell something at him, but Rachel stopped me.<p>

"Stop, Thalia." she said. "You'll talk to him later. Trust me."

I brought my eyes from Nico, who had gotten up from his tree stump, over to Rachel who was staring at me. "Look." I said finally. "I don't want to deal with this anymore, Rachel."

Her brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, that I know for a fact that I am loyal to Artemis. I've never thought about disobeying her and I don't plan to do so now. I just…" I looked back over to Nico who was walking away. "I just don't want to deal with this anymore. If you have any more dreams about Jason, feel free to tell me but I really don't want to hear about Nico right now."

She sighed. "I won't tell you if you don't want me to, but I think you will find my dream interesting."

I paused, curious as to what she was going to say but unsure if I wanted to know. Finally, I made my decision.

"No thanks." I said quietly. I don't want to worry about it right now.

Rachel's face drooped but she nodded understandingly. "Alright. But, you're not going to be able to avoid it, Thalia. Things like this are inevitable."

I just turned around and walked back down the pathway to the Artemis cabin, not bothering to say goodbye. Slamming the door behind me, I gasped. I wasn't the only person in the room.

_**Nico's POV**_

As soon as I was out of Thalia's sight, I took off as fast as I could towards my cabin. I didn't know why, but for some reason I was just scared. Turning to look behind me, I tripped over a tree root, stumbled a few feet, and then fell, sprawled out on the ground.

"Ohh…" I moaned. My hands were all cut up from the gravel and I felt a bruise already forming on my jaw. Sitting up, I saw that I was already near my favorite entrance to the woods. Not wanting anyone to see me looking this pitiful, I stood up and stumbled into the safety of the dark forest.

My heart was racing and my head was throbbing. I didn't understand. Why would Thalia kill me? I mean, yeah, we have our little arguments but it's brotherly, practically. Not for real.

I dragged my feet over to my favorite tree and yanked myself up onto the most comfortable branch.

"Oh my gods." I groaned. "This is a nightmare." I leaned my head back against the trunk and just breathed. Everything made sense now; why Thalia looked so nervous during practice, why I won every duel (you know, the part that wasn't my skill). Even Apollo's visit probably had something to do with this, that's why he let me in his car, to get me away so he could talk to Thalia.

"I don't want to die." I whimpered, my eyes getting watery. "There's so much I want to do." I hung my head and allowed a few tears to trickle down my cheeks. "I've never cheated on a girl!"

For some reason, that thought sent me over the edge and I started crying. For real. Which is not something I do often. But I didn't care. I was going to die; Not from some heroic battle with a chimera or a sphinx. Not because I sacrificed myself so we could get through the junkyard of the gods. But because one of my only friends got sick of me.

_**Thalia's POV**_

I stared at the other girl in the Artemis cabin, unsure of what to say.

"Hey Thalia." Kylie said breaking the awkward silence.

"Hi – erm – Kylie." I said, aware that my hair was sticking up in five directions at once.

She was sitting on her bed icing her arm. She had gotten it all stitched up and fixed with surgery after Artemis had amputated it, but she still had to ice it every day after sword practice to keep it from hurting. I had always felt bad for Kylie. I mean, she had been dumb to break Artemis's oath, but she was a new hunter, she barely knew better. Because of it, though, she had become the hardest working of us all, determined to prove to Artemis that she could still be a good hunter, even with a stub for an arm. She motioned me over.

"Yeah?" I asked, dropping my armor bag on the floor.

"Come sit." she motioned to an open spot on her bed.

I sat.

"I'd like to talk to you a little about one of your friends." She began, brushing her sweaty blonde hair back behind her ear.

"Which friend?" I asked. Despite being a hunter I still had a boatload of friends: Percy, Annabeth, Grover, Nico… Uhhh…

"Nico." she said.

I scowled. "What? What could possibly be so important that you need to talk to me about _Nico_?" I growled as I said his name.

"Don't be mean to him." she said sternly, suddenly. "He did nothing wrong. This is your fault."

"My fault?" I pointed to myself. "What did _I _do?"

She shrugged. "You made yourself too vulnerable."

I opened my mouth to object but she interrupted. "You are a strong girl, Thalia. You have the power of both Zeus, and the power of your strong mother…"

"Strong?" I snorted? "She was an alcoholic, she wasn't strong-"

"Shut up, she was stronger than you think. She used alcohol as a way of dealing with her problems."

"What do you mean?" I asked, caught a little off guard.

"Well," said Kylie. "She had to deal with you and Jason; And Hera, my gods. Her and her demanding requests."

"What are you talking about, how do you know this?" I asked.

"That doesn't matter. What does matter," Kylie said pointing her ice pack at me, "Is that you are still weak."

"Weak? How am I-"

And you know who makes you weak?"

"Who?"

"Nico."

I didn't show any emotion in my face.

"What? What about Nico?"

"_You _and Nico." she said exasperatedly. She continued in a low voice. "I know about Rachel's dream, Thalia."

I sucked in my breath. "What, does the whole world know about it?"

She shook her head. "I overheard you guys talking about it. Please listen to me."

"What?" I asked through clenched teeth.

She looked me in the eyes. "You need to be careful Thalia."

"I already know that." I insisted with a snort. "I've been told that since I was born. 'Watch where you're going, Thalia.' 'Be careful who you associate yourself with, Thalia.' '_Don't turn out like your mother, Thalia_.'"

"Well, _now_ you get a new one." said Kylie her eyes turning angry. "Don't let Artemis find out that you're in love with that Nico boy, Thalia. Because, I'll tell you what:" She leaned in really close and looked me in the eyes.

"It won't end up pretty if she does."

**Oh, and I almost forgot; I got four new reviews so here are four PJO/ HP pickup lines/ yo mama jokes:**

**I must be the oracle, because I can see your future is with me!**

**We may not be in Flitwick's class, but you're still charming!**

**Your mama's so fat she tried to eat Cornelius Fudge!**

**Are you Nico Di Angelo? 'Cause everything you do is AWESOME (my personal favorite)!**


	5. Consider it Broken

**Hey everyone! Here's chapter 4. It's an exciting one :D! I don't think I'll be updating for another week; I'm going on vacation in two days. Maybe if I get some good reviews I'll update tomorrow (hint hint). Read on!**

_**Chapter 4**_

_**Consider it Broken**_

_**Thalia's POV**_

I had to talk to Nico.

As low as it was on my list of _things to do,_ I knew I had no choice. He had obviously figured out what I had been trying to say – that explained why his face had been so pale – and I needed to convince him that I would never do something like that. I got up off of Kylie's bed and brushed my hair into something a little more presentable. It had gotten fairly long since I'd gotten out of that tree and was now approaching my shoulders. Taking someone else's ponytail, I put my hair up into a little stub and grabbed my sword. If Nico was where I thought he was, then there was the possibility of monsters.

I stepped outside of the cabin and started off towards the forest. Marching along the gravel, I laughed. Right in front of his favorite entrance, there was a big dirt spot where the gravel had been pushed around.

"Of course." I chuckled to myself, as I ducked under a tree branch and entered the forest. I knew this was Nico's favorite entrance because he'd told me once before that it was where he went when life was just too much for him and he needed to get away. That was back before I'd joined the hunters. To be completely honest, I had liked Nico a little back then. He had been a little young, but I knew he would grow up to be the same old shy goofy guy except in teenager form. I'd used to get the butterfly feeling in my stomach whenever I was near him, and to be honest, even today, sometimes I forget that I am a hunter and get them again. But I know that it will never mean anything, and I usually just ignore it. It was when I found out about Rachel's dream that I began pinching myself whenever I felt that tickly feeling start to come in.

That's what I did now when I saw his dark brown hair sticking out from behind a tree branch.

"Hey Di Angelo." I said after wincing.

He didn't turn around. "Go away." he grumbled.

He sounded angry – I could tell that much – but if I hadn't blamed it on the rustling leaves, I would've said he sounded a little scared…

"I'm not going away." I said after a moment.

"I don't want you here." he growled. "Leave."

"Please listen to me Nico!" I said, surprising myself with my begging tone. I saw his shoulders tense up and I knew I didn't have too long until he blurted in with another rude remark.

"I know you figured out what happened in Rachel's dream, Nico. And I know that it might make things a little weird between us, but it shouldn't change our friendship."

"Change our friendship?" He turned around and I was startled to see his eyes and cheeks were tearstained. "Thalia!" he exclaimed. "Do you not understand this? This changes _everything_! If Rachel's dream is true then I have to leave camp immediately. I can't come within the same state as you, much less the same camp!"

"You're overreacting." I insisted. "And hey," I crossed my arms, "It wouldn't be that bad."

He opened and closed his mouth a few times, astonished. "Did you honestly just say that _it wouldn't be that bad_?"

"Yes." I nodded. "It would be worse for me."

"Oh yeah!" he exclaimed with false enthusiasm. "Poor Thalia would have to live with the guilt of killing someone. Sucks for her!"

"What are you talking about?" I demanded. "You're saying you would _die _because of this?"

"Yes…" he stared at me, his angry expression suddenly gone. "Wait, what are you-"

"Just forget it Di Angelo!" I shouted, my eyes getting watery. "Just forget we ever had this conversation!"

"No, wait, a minute I think we're talking about diff-"

"No! Really! Go ahead, Nico. Go ahead and live your whole life fearing the day that Thalia Grace comes and kisses you!"

_**Nico's POV  
><strong>_ She dropped her sword and stormed off, deeper into the woods. After a few strides she broke into a run.

"No, wait!" I called after her. "I misunderstood! I thought…" I gave up on yelling and just took off after her. Unfortunately, not only did she have a huge lead on me, but children of Hades are not known for their running skills. I stumbled over sticks and roots and tripped over leaves and squirrels. I had to be attracting everyone monster within five miles, but I didn't care. I had to make this right.

"Thalia!" I yelled, my voice cracking halfway through her name. "Please!"

"Don't talk to me!" I heard her yell from somewhere nearby. "Just… Just go back to your cabin!"

I took off in the direction of her voice, ignoring the nymphs that protested as I kicked their tree roots. I finally caught a glimpse of her black hair and took off even faster. She turned around for a split second and all I saw were her mortified blue eyes. I took off, faster than I ever had around the track at camp, and gained some huge time. Now she was barely three feet away. I held out my arm, trying to grab onto her shirt, her arm, anything, as long as she stopped and let me talk.

I let out one last, drained, "_Thalia!_" before closing my eyes and pouncing.

_**Thalia's POV**_

Out of all of the things the dork has done, this was the stupidest. We crashed, smashed, and banged into trees, fell, and rolled a few feet on the dirt. The wind was knocked out of me and I heard him give a gasp similar to mine as we went down. _I'm gonna kill him_. I thought to myself and my arm was pushed under me in a not-so-comfortable position. I rolled over on top of him one last time before finally coming to a halt at the foot of a big tree.

"You're an idiot." was the first thing I growled after huffing and puffing for a few minutes. My body was bruised all over and my ankle felt like it was on fire.

"I'm sorry," he breathed, "It was the only way to stop you."

I mumbled a few non-repeatable words, trying to calm myself down. I was about ready to jam a tree branch through that kid's chest.

"Please," he huffed, "Just let me explain."

I didn't protest, frankly, because I was too tired to, and he took that as a signal to go on.

"When you tried to yell to me what happened between us in Rachel's dream, Apollo's car was coming in." He began. His breathing was abnormally fast, and I could tell he was straining himself. "All I heard was, 'I ki- you' because the engine was so loud. Then, when Apollo finished parking, I got distracted by his amazing car."

Despite my burning ankle and my unbelievable anger, I was able to smirk.

"But," he continued. "When I was inside, I was thinking about the things you could have been trying to say. The first one that came to my mind that fit was, well-"

He suddenly went quiet as his words were cut off by a low moan from somewhere nearby.

"What was that?" I whispered.

He sat up and looked around. "A monster, I'm sure. And it sounds close." He grimaced. "And you left your sword back at the tree. Oh gods, let's start walking. We can finish our conversation on the way out."

He jumped up and I tried to follow, but my ankle seemed to collapse under me and I fell right back down again.

"Oh!" I exclaimed as it sent a shot of pain through my leg.

"Come on!" he pulled me up, rushing now, obviously not wanting to be monster dinner. He tried to support me, since my right foot was obviously injured, but we were just too slow and he eventually gave up, threw his sword through his belt loop, and carried me princess style through the woods. The sky was beginning to get dark, as night approached and it was harder for him to see where he was going. He stumbled worse than I had before and honestly, it probably would've been less painful to walk considering how many trees he was shoving me into. My hair tie (well, someone else's hair tie) had been lost to some branch, and now my hair hung loose, plastered to my face with sweat. To make matters worse, I heard another moan.

Whatever was chasing us was getting closer.

"I was trying to come up with words," he continued, "That could fit, and the first one that I came up with that made sense was," he heaved, "well, kill."

I gasped. "Wait! Stop!"

He screeched to a halt, nearly running into a bush of those thorn things. "What?"

I put my left foot down on the ground so that I could turn and look him in the eyes. "You're telling me," I gasped, "that throughout the entire afternoon you thought I was going to kill you?"

He nodded and tried to pick me up again but I stopped him. "You're serious?" I squealed.

"Yes, I'm serious!" he exclaimed. "Now, we need to go!"

"Nico, I'm so sorry, I thought that this entire time-"

"Don't be sorry! I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. Kissing you would not be bad, Thalia. In fact-"

I had barely any time to process what was going on. He brought his hand to my cheek and pressed his lips to mine before I could give one shout of protest. All of the pain disappeared for two seconds as he shocked it out of me. Suddenly he pulled away and I gasped. He blushed.

"That probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, was it?" he asked, his face bright red.

I didn't have time to reply, before a vicious growl broke through my thoughts.

That monster was approaching its next meal.

I turned towards Nico and yelled one word: "Go!"

He picked me up with strength I hadn't seen from anyone other than Luke and Percy, and slung me over his shoulder. I let out a muffled scream as he took off, jumping over tree roots and narrowly missing trees. We passed the place where we had been arguing before and he grabbed my sword up off the ground. Together we screamed the last few yards in terrified harmony before finally tumbling together out onto the gravel.

"Thalia? Nico?" I heard someone yell. My head hurt and I didn't dare open my eyes. "Hey, are you guys okay?"

"She's hurt." I heard Nico wheeze. "Her ankle."

I groaned in pain and whoever it was got down next to me. "Hey Will, I need some help over here!" he yelled, causing my brain to bounce around in my head. I felt myself being lifted up off the gravel and carried down a hill. I opened my eyes, blinking, my vision blurry, and looked around. Two Apollo campers were carrying me to the Big House. I moved my eyes past his head and saw none other than Nico Di Angelo, half stumbling half running back towards his cabin.

"Go to sleep." one of the campers carrying me told me. "You're safe now."

But as I closed my eyes for the final time that night, I knew that I would never be safe. For, now, I had done exactly what Kylie had told me not to do. What she had done that had lost her her dignity and her arm.

I, Thalia Grace had fallen in love with a boy. And that boy was Nico Di Angelo.

**Pretty awesome huh? Remember, review!**

**I got 1 review last time so I'll give you one PJO pickup line. Thanks MissSmilesAllTheTime for the review, and the suggestion!**

**Are you a child of Apollo? 'Cause you light up my world! **


	6. The Truth

**Hey, I'm back from the Galapagos, and have a new chapter! R&R please!**

_**Chapter 5**_

_**The Truth**_

_**Thalia's POV**_

_The air around me was cold as I walked through the snow, leaving identical footprints in my wake. I had only a light jacket on and I was shivering worse than I ever had before. I had no idea where I was going, for my feet were directing me without my consensus. I let them lead me in and out of trees and around bushes, before finally coming to a halt near a clearing._

_I saw three people. One was a girl, seeming about ten or eleven years of age. The other was a woman, and as soon as I saw her I felt a ripple of anger go through my body._

_My mother._

_As expected, she was holding her son close to her chest and was in deep conversation with the young girl._

"_Lady Artemis," she said, "I beg of you. Please! It will only be for a few months."_

"_Ms. Grace I have told you," insisted the girl, her intense brown eyes avoiding the sad grey ones of my mother, "I cannot watch over a baby while trying to do my job. It just isn't fathomable. My hunters need me to give them my complete and utter attention. I cannot have any distractions."_

"_But he will die!" my mom insisted. "Hera will give no mercy. You are the only goddess that I can trust will not fall into a trap."_

"_Have you not asked Athena?"_

"_She has a grudge against me. She thinks Zeus is being an idiot for breaking his oath for me. I told her she could kill me afterwards. All I care for is the safety of my children."_

_I stared at my mother. This was not the alcoholic dramatic character I remembered._

"_I do not approve of the way you take care of things, Ms. Grace." Artemis scolded. "You come off as pesky and weak, both of which are not characteristics I admire in people."_

"_Please, I swear-"_

"_Do not make any promises that you cannot keep." Artemis interrupted. "And do not continue asking for my help."_

"_Oh! Lady Artemis!" My mother was crying, now, holding her son to her chest as she sunk down to her knees. "Zeus promised him to her! I have no way to keep him safe from her jealous wrath. She will take him and kill him! How will I break it to Thalia?"_

"_Thalia is young." the goddess said coldly. "Tell her he died in a car crash or something, I don't know. She never has to find out the truth."_

_ "You are heartless!" my mother screeched. "You have no soul in that worn out corpse of yours. In fact…" she stood up, her face bright red and her eyes enraged, "In fact, I don't think you're even fit to be alive, much less a goddess!"_

_ Artemis didn't show any emotion. But as my mom spun around on her heel, her feet pounding on the snow, the goddess raised her hand._

_ "No." I said out loud, beginning to see where this was going. "NO!"_

_A burst of light escaped Artemis's fingers and shot through the air, headed directly at my mother. It hit her smack dab in the chest and all I could do was watch as she shook with electricity before disintegrating before my very eyes. My brother Jason, somehow shielded from the blow, fell to the ground with a thud, and began to cry._

_ Artemis walked towards him in the snow. My whole body was shaking, now, not just from the cold, but from something even worse: ice cold fear_

_Artemis picked Jason up from the ground and held him up to the sky._

_ "Lady Hera!" she called._

"_No!" I yelled again, uselessly._

_A lone figure materialized next to me. "What is it, Lady Artemis?" she asked._

_Artemis held up my brother who immediately stopped his bawling at the sight of Hera._

"_Ahh, so __**this **__is the famous Jason Grace." she smiled but it looked more like an evil sneer. "Wonderful work, Lady Artemis. Hand him here."_

_Artemis placed the baby in Hera's hands._

"_He is beautiful." said Hera after a moment of examination._

"_Isn't he." agreed Artemis._

"_I will take good care of him." said Hera, staring into my brother's terrified blue eyes._

"_You're not going to kill him, then?"_

_Hera shook her head. "I do not believe so. This child seems… different. I don't know, I feel like he will be important later." she smiled. "Yes, I will leave him with Lupa, for the time being. She will take good care of him until his time comes." She stared at Jason for a few more moments before holding him to her chest and beginning to materialize. "Good work Artemis!" she called, just before she turned into a burst of light and blinded me._

"Jason!" I yelled, sitting up suddenly.

"Whoa!" said someone jumping back. I heard the sound of stumbling and things breaking. I cracked open an eye and stared apologetically at the Apollo kid who had been trying to adjust one of my bandages.

"Er, sorry." I said.

He just shook his head, muttering, "I should get paid for this." Placing the last piece of tape of my ankle, he said quickly before leaving, "You're free to go when you want to."

I watched as he stepped through the door, letting it swing closed behind him, leaving me with the only other person in the room.

I turned my head to look over at the red chair next to my cot.

"Hello Thalia." said Lord Zeus.

_**Nico's POV**_

When I woke up in the morning, I honestly felt like crap.

My bones ached from all of the scrapes and bruises I had gotten, and my head was still spinning while I was thinking about the events of last night. I felt happy, sad, and embarrassed all at the same time. _Why did you kiss her?_ I asked myself, staring up at the blank ceiling of my cabin. _If Artemis finds out, we're both dead… Literally._ I groaned and rubbed my temples.

"I need to go see her." I said to myself out loud.

Wincing occasionally, I pulled myself out of bed, threw on a pair of jeans and a random T-Shirt and turned to leave. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and sighed.

I kissed an eternal maiden; It would probably be best to not resemble a hobo when saw her again…

I traded my jeans in for a pair of black pants that were a little skinny, and put on a plain black shirt. I stuck a belt through two of my five belt loops and slipped on the cleaner of my two pairs of sneakers. Standing in front of my mirror, I ran a comb through one side of my head, but stopped when I caught a glance at the large amount of dark brown hair that was then stuck in the teeth of the comb. I played around with some hair gel for a few minutes before just giving up altogether.

Grabbing my skull ring and aviators jacket, I spent ten or so minutes in front of the mirror debating if I would look better if I got an earring. Eventually, I decided to just stop procrastinating and go talk to Thalia.

I gave my hair a quick shake before stepping outside of my cabin and beginning to walk down to the infirmary. As I got closer, I felt something powerful waiting. I had felt that feeling of power before, but I just couldn't put a finger on what it was. I just kept walking until I arrived at the building. Stepping inside, I heard two people talking from one of the rooms.

"Let me get this straight;" said a girl's voice, "Hera found out that you had been cheating on her with my mother and she got mad, demanding that you repay her. Am I correct so far?"

"Yes Thalia," the other voice said, "That is correct."

"So, you promised her that you would give her one of your children so that you would be even. Hera decided to take Jason. But, when my mom found out, she wanted to keep him safe, right?"

"Right."

"So she went and tried to get someone to take care of him, who wouldn't be fooled by Hera's games. She chose Artemis. Artemis did not like my mom, however, so she did Hera's dirty work for her: She killed my mom and gave Jason to some wolf pack to be raised until it was _his time_."

"You seem to understand completely, Thalia." the man said, his voice loud and strong. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way."

I gasped, suddenly recognizing the male as Lord Zeus.

"But I still don't get something." Thalia said. "How come you didn't do anything to help? I mean, dad, you basically _let _Hera swoop down and take my brother. You didn't even try to save him, in fact, you-"

"That's not true, Thalia." Zeus interrupted, his voice slightly irritated. "I did everything I could. At first Hera wanted to kill all three of you, but I just couldn't let that happen."

"Are you kidding me?" Thalia exclaimed. I could tell she was getting angry and I winced. I did not choose the right time to come and have a heart to heart talk with her.

"You are the ruler of the _gods!_" Thalia insisted. "You don't have to take orders from anybody else. I bet you _wanted _my brother to die!"

The air around me seemed to tense up by about thirty percent, and I could practically feel Zeus clench his powerful fists. "You do not use that tone with me, nor do you call me names." he said through clenched teeth. He sighed. "I had no choice in the matter, anyway. Hera was mad; madder than she's ever been before. She does not like it when I cheat on her and she craved revenge. It was either Jason or all of you."

"You've cheated on her many times before." Thalia debated. "How come she only wanted revenge _this _time?"

"She wanted revenge _every _time." he explained. "I am just usually able to convince her out of it."

"Well great going _dad." _Thalia exclaimed sarcastically. "Because you weren't able to convince the judge, your client was proven guilty." she paused then shouted, "And the penalty is death!"

"Calm down, Thalia." I heard him stand up.

"I will not calm down!" she yelled. "I've been told my whole life that my mother was an idiot drunkee who got killed in a car accident! But now, I find out that Lady Artemis killed her!"

Through her anger, I was surprised to hear her voice crack. Her anger was turning into sadness. I could hear her begin to cry even through the door.

"Thalia, please. Yes, your mother was killed, but do you not remember?" he tried to sound happy, "Jason is still alive!"

"Then get him for me!" she demanded between her cries. "Get him out of that rotten wolf pack before they eat him alive!"

"Thalia, you know I can't do that until his time comes-"

"Then leave." she ordered him. "Get out of here. I never want to see your face again! In fact, I'm embarrassed to call you _my father_!"

Time seemed to freeze as Zeus stared at his daughter, unsure of how to respond. I half expected him to kill her, to just get rid of this annoying pesticide that didn't even respect him anymore. But to my relief, he just turned into an angry flash of light and disappeared. I was left listening to Thalia's strained sobs through the wall.

I knocked on the door. "Hey, can I come in?" I asked quietly.

"I don't give a damn." she whimpered.

I turned the doorknob slowly, trying to get my brain to think about ways to comfort her, but it stayed blank.

Thalia was sitting on her cot, her face buried in her hands, her sheets all rumpled. I opened and closed my mouth, unsure of what to do. She spoke before I got the chance.

"I take it you heard all of that?" she asked.

"E- Enough." I said quietly, carefully shutting the door behind me.

"So I guess you know everything now." she said. "About me, my mom, my dad and my brother. You know everything."

I didn't know how to respond.

"Yeah." she said nodding.

She broke the following silence with another set of cries, slamming her fist down on her mattress, making me jump. "I'm an idiot!" she yelled. "I'm a fool for ever thinking there was any good in her!"

"In Artemis?" I asked.

"Who else?" She yelled. "She's mean and heartless and I can't believe I'm her lieutenant!" she cried some more before looking up at me, her face blazing with anger. "Well, are you just going to stand there?"

I shook my head, startled. My feet were rooted to the floor tiles, but I somehow forced them to move towards her. I sat on the edge of her cot and draped my arm over her shoulders. She had her face buried in her knees but I could see her teardrops dripping onto the mattress. She was shaking and seemed cold, so I took off my jacket and handed it to her. She took it gratefully.

"Thanks." she mumbled, wiping her nose with her hand.

"No problem."

She zipped it up quickly before turning to me. "I look like a pretty big wreck, don't I?"

I stared at her face, red and tearstained. There were scars along her cheeks and jaw, some tiny and barely noticeable and others more visible. I had never been this close to her, never been able to see all of these characteristics that make up her face. Finally, I shook my head.

"You look beautiful…" I said strongly. "Like always."

Her shoulders suddenly stopped shaking and she allowed herself to relax a little. Still crying, she blushed as well. "Nico Di Angelo, how do you manage to make me blush when I feel like I want to die?"

"I don't know." I shrugged and we both gave a tentative laugh. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her to my chest. For a while I just listened to her slow breathing.

"I'm sorry I kissed you last night." I said quietly. "You're a hunter. It was wrong."

"I don't care." she said.

"You should."

"How come?"

"You took an oath." I reminded her.

She rolled her eyes.

"As if I don't know that. Don't worry about it."

"But Thalia," I said, "If Artemis finds out then we are both dead meat. I mean, you could get kicked out if we're not-"

"Holy Hades, Nico." She suddenly whirled around and grabbed my face in between her hands. Staring at me in the eyes, our faces inches apart, she continued all in one shaky breath.

"Artemis can go to your dad's place, for all I care," She whispered blushing, avoiding my eyes. "Nico, I realized after what happened last night and what I found out today, that my life is in a million pieces. I have no family left that knows and cares for me and, other than Percy and Annabeth, no friends who care either. I thought about it and I realized that if there is a way to put my life back together then this is where I should start." Finally she looked up and said the last thing I expected.

"Nico Di Angelo, I… I love you."

My eyes widened and I stared at her.

This was not happening. There was no way that this could be happening. This was _Thalia Grace _we were talking about. She couldn't seriously be saying… But she was.

Still in shock, I smiled. "Thalia Grace, I love you too."

She slid her arms around my neck and I wrapped mine around her waist. I closed my eyes as I felt her nose press against mine and her breath against my mouth. Her words echoed around in my head, _"Nico Di Angelo, I love you." _and goose bumps went up and down my arms. I was just leaning in to kiss her when…

"So you love each other now, huh?"

We pulled apart immediately and whirled around towards the door. Standing exactly where I had been, only minutes before, was a group of about thirteen astonished girls. Behind them was a goddess... And she did not look happy.

**Uh oh…**


	7. Me and Artemis

**Alright! This is the second to last chapter, not counting the epilogue. Thanks so much to all of you who reviewed, it really means a lot! Anywho, R&R please!**

_**Chapter 6**_

_**Me and Artemis**_

_**Thalia's POV**_

_Evil._

It was all I could think of when I saw her standing there. It coursed through her veins and invaded her brain. It molded itself into her bones and took over her organs.

_Evil._

I felt my blood begin to boil and everything that was going on between me and Nico just vanished, and all that was left in the room was me and her.

Me and my master.

Me and Artemis.

I could see the smirk playing on the corners of her lips and she walked towards me, her brown eyes cold and hard.

_Evil. _I thought once more.

I took a deep breath and spoke.

"Yeah, that's right."

She crossed her arms and I felt her eyes burning holes in my head, about ready to drill through my brain.

"Why did you do it?" she asked finally, still glaring. "Why did you, my _lieutenant_, break your oath?"

I shrugged. "I learned the truth about you. Once I found that out, it wasn't hard to betray you."

I looked around at the hunters. Most of them looked sad or scared. Maybe surprised that I, of all people, decided to betray them. A lot of them expected it, though and were whispering back and forth messages like, _"I told you so!"_ My eyes rested on a familiar hunter whose eyes were wide in fear. She was shaking her head over and over again in small jerky movements. This whole scene was practically déjà vu for her.

"Do you realize what you have done, Thalia Grace? Do you realize the consequences?"

I nodded. "Yes ma'am. I do."

A sly smile appeared on the corners of her lips and I could practically see the methods of torture swimming around like fish in her brain. Which one would she catch?

I obeyed, and stepped painfully off of my cot. I knew I should've been scared, but the fear just hadn't spread to my brain and limbs yet. So, instead of being afraid, I stared into her eyes; her icy, cold, merciless eyes that scrutinized my every move. And I finally said those two words that had been in my brain for six years, locked in a box, banging on the walls to get out.

"I quit."

The room went silent. No one dared to breathe.

Artemis's eyes that had frozen when I spoke widened as all of the words in her mouth seemed to disappear. Finally, spoke.

"I know." she lied.

And then she raised her hand.

_**Nico's POV**_

My mind went blank. All I could think was, _'No! Not Thalia! Anyone but Thalia!'_ But my body seemed to be frozen. The hunters all shielded their eyes and my heart fell to my feet. It wasn't going to happen.

Thalia wasn't going to die.

I wanted to jump up and save her in some heroic way that would get my name in mythology books all around the world. I wanted to prove to her that I would do anything for her, that I loved her, because I really did. But for some reason, I just couldn't.

Everything seemed to be happening in slow motion: Artemis held up her hand, Thalia's eyes turned terrified, the hunters looked away, and I stood there like an idiot. But as the beam of white light shot out of Artemis's hand and as the goddess yelled as loud as she could, "You'll go just like your mother did!" something happened; something that only the fates could have decided.

A hunter jumped up.

I saw a flicker of confusion on Artemis's face as the girl spoke.

"Teach them Thalia!" the girl shouted, her voice shaking. "Teach them the truth!"

And that was the last thing that the girl would ever yell. Yes, the tall blonde hunter, with the fiery hazel eyes, and half of an arm, jumped in front of Thalia and did what I was too scared to do.

"KYLIE!" All the hunters yelled at once.

But it was too late.

The beam of light hit Kylie in the middle of her chest, and spread all over her body. All I could do was watch as it turned her into an infuriated ball of fire. I heard her let out a shrill gasp of pain before she disintegrated into a million bursts of light.

There was no evidence left to suggest that a murder had just taken place. Just the surprised expressions of the hunters standing by the door, the terrified looking daughter of Zeus in the middle of the room, and the goddess in between the two. The goddess who looked madder than I had ever seen her in my life.

_**Thalia's POV**_

I stared at the spot where Kylie had stood mere seconds ago. _She isn't gone_. I thought to myself. _She can't be gone…_

But she was.

And she left for me.

I noticed my hands shaking and tried to get them to stop. My mind was spinning like a merry go round and I felt like throwing up. But I couldn't.

I still had an enraged goddess to face.

I looked up at Artemis who seemed just as surprised as me. She had trusted Kylie and to see her explode in a burst of light, caught her a little off guard. Her surprise didn't last long, though.

"I have always had my doubts about Kylie." said Artemis. "Ever since that mishap that lost her her arm." she shrugged. "Oh well. She deserved to go anyway, the traitor." She turned to me. "Now, we worry about you."

I stared into her eyes, conscious of a plan in my head. The plan Kylie would've wanted.

I cleared my throat. "Look at this, girls." I said suddenly. I heard a few jump behind me. My heart was beating a mile a minute and I was about to pass out. Yet, I kept talking. "Do you see this?" I asked. "This crazy woman we call our _master_." I drew out the word. "She is heartless, ladies, soulless as well. And we follow her every command." I turned around. "Do you all really want this woman as your _leader_? Your _role model_?"

They whispered back and forth, unsure of how to respond. I turned back around to look at Artemis who had her arms crossed and was staring at me with an amused smile on her face.

"Continue, Thalia." she said. "I'd like to hear this."

I nodded and turned back around, conscious that this was my only chance of surviving.

"For six years now I have been lieutenant of the hunters. _Six years_. That may not sound long to many of you, but it was long enough for me to see this goddesses true colors. Who she _really _is. And that person is not someone that I think we should have to listen to. She is ruthless and stubborn and so quick to kill. Did you not just witness her _murder_ our friend? She will do that exact same thing to all of you, and if you don't step in and help, then she will start with me, right here, and right now." I looked from face to face and continued in a softer voice. "I know that I seem like a real traitor right now. I know that you do not approve of my decision to fall in love and break my oath." I motioned to Nico. "But right now, I need you guys to make a decision:

"Stick with Artemis. Serve her like you have ever since you join the hunt, and try to forget that you've seen her bad side. Or, you can join me. You can stand up for your rights as a young adult or thousand year old, or whatever, and help me finally prove to her that we are people. We have _lives _and we shouldn't spend them watching her ruthlessly kill." I looked around at the circle of girls who I knew so well, before. "Please guys. I…" I gulped, not wanting to say it. "I really need your help."

They looked at each other, unsure of what to say. I could see that a good half of them wanted to give up; to join me, either because I was right, or because they respected me enough to trust my opinion. They were still unsure, though, and they all took glances at Artemis to see if she would do anything. When she didn't, a girl named Phoebe stepped forward.

"Thalia," she began cautiously. "You were an amazing lieutenant for those short six years. Really! I think we had more fun with you then we _ever_ had with Zoe. You made great split second decisions and you fighting was… Well," she laughed, "Pretty darn fierce!" her expression turned serious. "But, on the other hand, you took an oath. And, whether or not you agree with it now, you agreed to it then. I think that it was wrong of you to fall in love when you promised – you _swore _that you wouldn't. I mean, Thalia, I love you, but I think you're going to have to beg your forgiveness on this one." she gave me a small smile before stepping back with all of the other girls who were whispering, trying to make a decision.

_That's okay_. I said to myself._ That's only one girl. Maybe others will agree with me._

And, as it turns out, they did.

"Thalia." A girl with chocolate colored skin and curly black hair stepped forward. "Girl, if I'd known you felt this way too, I would've talked to you much more! Thals, I've regretted my decision to join the hunt, ever since I got here. The tents are itsy bitsy, there are bugs _everywhere,_ and if there's one thing I _hate _it's to be ordered around. And, that's all that ever seems to go on around here! You know," she smiled dreamily, "I was in love before I joined the hunt. His name was Rob." she sighed. "Beautiful abs, that boy. He did construction work, you know." she laughed. "But when I got to Camp Half-Blood, found out I was a daughter of Aphrodite, and moved into my cabin, I was so excited, I forgot nearly _everything _about my life as a regular mortal." She sighed. "I joined the hunt out of pure happiness, I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I mean," she looked around, "I love my girls, but to be honest, every night when I try to fall asleep in those crowded little tents, I think about my Rob; and how much I would _looove _to just get to kiss him, hug him, or even _talk _to him just one more time." she nodded. "Yeah… Babe, I'm with you all the way!"

I smiled and she ran over to hug me. When she pulled away, I was left staring at a two girls who had stepped up as well.

"I've never had a boyfriend and I think I'm really missing out." one said.

"I _hate _violence." said the other.

Three more joined me and I was just about glowing with pride. I was doing it. I was starting a revolution!

"I hate this hunt." a girl named Katie said. "I feel like Artemis is the queen bee and we're just all of the worker bees. Like," she rolled her eyes, recalling, "One time, she told me to start a fire with two sticks because we were out of matches. But _I_ said we had a whole other pack in the tent. She didn't believe me though, and I had to spend, like, half an hour rubbing two sticks together when I was right! Not to mention the fact that she gave me cleanup duty because I argued with her." I nodded sympathetically. "I agree with you guys." she said. "I quit!" She joined our little group and a few girls high fived her. I looked over at Artemis who now had just under half of the hunt on her side.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Katie." she said calmly looking dejectedly at her group of five or six girls. "I'm sorry you _all _feel like Thalia. But," she smiled. "You do understand that now that you've all broken your oath, well…" her smile turned evil. "I have no choice but to kill you."

My eyes widened. The girls all whirled around to stare at me.

"Wha… What?" Katie asked, looking utterly terrified.

Artemis shrugged. "There is no such thing as quitting my hunt, ladies." she sighed. "It just doesn't work that way. Once you take that oath, you're either in, or you're dead." she smiled. "Guess I didn't mention that before, huh? Woops, slipped my mind. Anyway, good day to you all." She held up her hand in which a small ball of yellow energy was building up. Many girls screamed and tried to get away as the ball in Artemis's hand got bigger and bigger. I just stood there in shock.

_You killed them, Thalia._ I thought to myself. _If you had just let Artemis do what she wanted with you, then these girls would be safe. But no. You had to open your big mouth. You had to make a plan, you had to win! But now guess what, Thals; you just killed seven of your best friends!_

"Please!" I blurted out suddenly. "Please don't kill them, Artemis! I'm begging you, please! I'll do anything, I swear to you! Just don't kill them!"

She shook her head. "Sorry Thalia. They broke their oaths too."

I screamed and begged and pleaded some more but got nowhere with her. The ball of energy was now about the size of a satellite dish and was growing by the second. All I could do was scream, cry, and stare, petrified, at the woman who was about to murder me.

_**Nico's POV**_

My mind was about to explode. I knew I needed to do something. I knew I needed to help before they were all killed, but I just stood there in shock.

_Move! _I told myself. _Do something!_

But my legs weren't listening. Thalia, the girl I loved, was about to die. And I was just sitting there like a rock or something.

Finally, I was able to pull my feet off of the ground. I ran towards the door but I suddenly felt my right leg stop.

"AHH!" I yelled, and fell onto the floor. I turned my leg over to see an arrow in it. I yanked the arrow out, but knew that I wouldn't be able to get up from the floor. Whatever poison had been in the arrow was working its way through my veins and leaving a terrible burning pain behind it. Thalia, despite her situation, ran over to me.

"Nico!" she exclaimed, dropping down to my side.

I didn't listen to her. I just closed my eyes and resorted to my final plan. My _least favorite _plan, I might add.

"Nico!" she yelled again, pulling on my arm. "Please say something."

I shook my head, concentrating as hard as I could.

_Please, please, please, please…_

"Say goodbye, traitors!" Artemis screeched from a few feet away. I could feel the power of her murder weapon. There was enough energy there to kill seven teenaged girls… And one son of Hades.

I concentrated as much as I could, blocking out every other sound in the room. The energy ball was only seconds from exploding when suddenly… It just vanished.

"Artemis?" asked a booming voice.

The goddess didn't respond.  
>"Did you almost just kill my daughter?"<br>I cracked open an eye and was relieved to see a fuming looking Zeus with a familiar ball of energy floating in his hand, its fire extinguished.

"Thank the lord." I breathed to myself, as I watched Zeus read Artemis the riot act for almost killing his daughter. "My praying worked."

**Hallelujah! They're both alive!**


	8. A Guilty Feeling

**Ok, short chapter ahead! It's the last one, though, only an epilogue to go. Anyway, thanks so much to everyone who read the whole way through, it really means a lot. Read on!**

_**Chapter 7**_

__**A Guilty Feeling**__

_**Thalia's POV**_

In case you're wondering, the answer's yes; I forgave my dad.

It wasn't that hard, I mean, he saved my life. The hardest part, however, was saying goodbye to Artemis. Somehow after all of the years that I had served her, I found it painful to see her leave Camp Half-Blood with only half of her original hunters.

"She'll find more." insisted Nico. "And they'll regret joining her just as much as you did."

"Yeah." I sighed. "I guess you're right." But I knew for a fact that Artemis would never forgive me. She could ignore me. She could leave me alone because my daddy forced her to. But she would never, and I mean _never _forget how much I embarrassed her. Eight hunters breaking their oaths and getting away with it. Madness. Complete and utter insanity in her opinion. And the fact that she would always hate me, just drove me over the edge. So on June 21st, the summer solstice, instead dancing at the different parties and hanging out with my friends from camp, I decided to take a walk in the woods.

A cool breeze weaved in and out of the trees, pushing my hair out of my face. Too lazy to put it in a ponytail, I brushed it out of the way and kept walking. I had no destination in mind; I just wanted to get away for a little while. I thought about everything: My mom, my dad, Jason, Nico, and mostly Artemis. How she was probably thinking about me right now, at the same time that I was thinking about her. How now, whenever she heard my name she would grimace and growl and her hatred for me would come pouring back into her brain. It killed me to know that someone felt that way about me. Someone who, through everything, I still cared about. Like family.

I was Artemis's lieutenant for six years. Six long, hard, but mostly fun years. I loved almost every minute of it, that is, until I met Nico. If I had just been able to control myself…

_No_. I thought suddenly. _It's not your fault that you had feelings for Nico. Love isn't something you can control. It was Artemis's fault_.

But I still wasn't convinced.

Feeling my throat begin to choke up, I sat down, leaning against a tree, listening to all of the happy campers sing karaoke and laugh with their friends.

"Gods." I whimpered, allowing a few tears to fall down my face. I hated crying. It made me feel weak and helpless. So naturally, when I heard footsteps from somewhere nearby, I tried to wipe the tears away. It didn't work.

"Hey, are you okay?" Nico asked, walking over.

"I'm fine." I insisted, rubbing my eyes. "Really, you just caught me at a bad time."

He gave me a sympathetic smile and sat down next to me, placing his arm over my shoulder. "You don't need to feel guilty, you know." he said, drumming his fingers along my shoulder.

"I know." I said. "Well, my brain does, anyway. It just needs to convince my tear socket things."

He chuckled. "I'm sure."

"So…" I said, breaking a short awkward silence.

"So." he repeated. "Why aren't you at the party? It's the summer solstice and you're alive. You should be happy."

"Yeah." I sighed. "I guess I'm just not up for it right now."

"So, you're not happy." he stated.

"I'm happy." I insisted. "Just a little, well, shaken I guess."

"But you're okay?" he asked.

"Yes." I nodded. "I'm alive, the hunters are alive, Jason's alive, my dad and I are on good terms, and my mom wasn't as much of an idiot as I thought."

"That's a pretty good life you got."

"Yup." I agreed. "And," I paused.

"And what?" he asked.

"_And_…" I turned around to look at him. His goofy hazel eyes were staring at me in curiosity as I brushed his chin length hair behind his ear. I smiled and felt myself start to blush. "And, I have you." I said, before quietly leaning in and pressing my lips to his.

It felt good to finally have a love. To know that I had no rules to follow anymore; Just Chiron's, and Jack's, and Dionysus's, and my dad's, and… Well, maybe I still had rules. But I could live with those, because at this moment, I'm alive on the summer solstice, sitting in the woods, crying my pain away, and being comforted by none other than Nico Di Angelo.

Just like Rachel told me I would.


	9. Epilogue

**Last chapter, yay! Thanks a million to everyone who reviewed. It really makes me happy to see that people like my story. One of the questions that someone asked in a review was if Thalia would find Jason. Yeah, this story takes place sort of in-between TLO and TLH, and if you read The Lost Hero, you know what ends up happening. Alright, that's all, go on ahead and read. Sorry, I know, it's insanely short.**

So, I guess I was wrong, before.

When I said I was kicked out of the hunt; really, I wasn't _kicked out_. I _quit _the hunt because it was too pressuring. I had to do everything that Lady Artemis said, and if I did so much as to take one step on my own, then I would be punished. Some girls may be able to deal with that kind of pressure, but I know now that it is just too much for me. Too much for me, and many of the other girls who are now debating on whether or not to join Artemis. That's why I've made it my job to go around the world and find these girls. To make sure that they could take it before they made their final decision. And to be honest, I may have chased a few of them away, and I may have angered an already fuming goddess even more, but I feel like I'm doing what's right.

I know now that I am not 'kicked out.'

I am not 'quit' either if that's what you're thinking of.

I'm _strong. _I'm _mature._ I'm _independent _in a way. But more importantly, I'm me. I'm Thalia Grace; the black haired, blue eyed, screwball, of a daughter of Zeus.

And I'm proud of it.

**Thanks everyone! And be sure to check out my other story, Half-Blood Idol. It's a bit different than this, though.**


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